Hardcore Heart
by anubislover
Summary: Rob Van Dam has just lost his Hardcore title to the Undertaker, but can a certain ring announcer cheer him up? Takes place during 2002.


Disclaimer: I don't own WWE.

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A thousand emotions passed through the battered body of Rob Van Dam as he sat alone in the locker room. Shock, disappointment, shame, disbelief, but mainly anger. The Undertaker had beaten him at his own game and taken away the Hardcore title and his pride, the only things Rob had left. That belt had meant everything to Rob, and now the Big Dog was wearing it around his waist. He couldn't even look at his fellow former ECW superstars, not wanting to see the shame and disappointment in their eyes. Not even Tommy Dreamer, his closest friend, had been able to cheer him up.

"Damn it, why'd I have to lose the one time it really counted?" he muttered under his breath. If the belt hadn't been on the line, or if he had lost to someone else, Rob wouldn't have minded so much. Unfortunately, he'd lost to the man who had made his life hell from the beginning, and would probably gloat about his victory for months: the Undertaker.

Standing up, Rob let a low groan escape his lips as pain rushed through his body like fire. The trainers had told him he had numerous bruises, pulled muscles, a torn ligament in his left arm, and a mild concussion. To Rob, that was all in a day's work, but the doctors were insistent that he take a few days off and not drive himself anywhere for a while. It was just too bad that all of Rob's friends had matches, so he would be forced to wasted money on a cab. Vince had given him the rest of the night off, and he planned on spending it in his room, wallowing in self-pity.

Changing out of his gear, he threw on a pair of jeans and was attempting to locate his shirt, when he heard a timid knock on the door. Abandoning his search for his shirt and swearing under his breath, he opened the door, coming face-to-face with a rather shy-looking Lilian Garcia.

Rob had always liked the blonde Latina. In fact, he considered her shy personality and sweet voice to be rather endearing. She'd been the first one to welcome him and the other former ECW and WCW superstars with open arms, while most of the other wrestlers had been closed off and suspicious. Even when he'd been in the Alliance, she'd been relatively nice to him. Because of that, he'd started to develop a crush on her, though he would never consider himself good enough to ask her out. Unfortunately, Rob was feeling particularly hostile at that moment, and felt the need to take it out on someone. That someone ended up being her.

"What do you want, Garcia? You want an interview? You want to know how I feel, now that I've lost my title and my pride? Huh? Well, guess what, I'm in no mood to answer any of your asinine questions, so why don't you take your damn mic and go bother someone who gives a rat's ass?!" he shouted cruelly.

He was about to head back into the locker room and resume changing, when Lilian's sweet, melodic voice stopped him in his tracks.

"I-I'm not here for an interview, Rob. I just wanted to see if you were ok. Tommy told me you'd been hurt pretty badly, so I thought I would stop by and check up on you," she softly explained, obviously distressed about how he had snapped at her. Most of the wrestlers in the business treated her that way, so she was used to it, but when it came from Rob, it seemed ten times worse. He'd been one of the few guys who had treated her with respect, and she'd liked him even when he was in the Alliance. He'd always been sweet to her, answering her questions without making fun of her, and she'd started falling for him. But when he suddenly yelled at her, she felt her heart break a little. "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone," she whispered, walking away with tears in her eyes.

Rob saw this, and felt a sharp pain in his chest that had nothing to do with his injuries. He realized what he'd just done, and suddenly felt extremely guilty. She'd been legitimately concerned about him, and he'd treated her like shit. Worst of all, he made her cry. Limping as fast as he could, he caught up to her and spun her around before embracing her tightly.

"Lilian, you have nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was so frustrated about losing the title, and I took it out on you. I'm worse than the Undertaker for treating you like that."

Lilian smiled and hugged him back. "No you're not, Rob. I understand that you were upset. And you're not worse than the Undertaker; he would have yelled at me for no reason, and he certainly wouldn't have hugged me and apologized after. Hell, no one would have."

Rob laughed at the image of the Deadman hugging Lilian, but then started to feel a bit jealous. He pulled away slightly and grinned at her. "What can I say? I'm one of a kind!" They both laughed, and it was only then that he realized just how close they were. He could feel he body pressed against him, and he had to suppress a blush when he realized how she seemed to fit against him perfectly. Giving a small cough, he gently pulled away from her, trying no to look too embarrassed.

When she felt him pull away, Lilian was a bit sad. His strong arms were very comforting, and she felt a bit chilly without his body heat. She then realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt and has to suppress a blush. _Damn, he has a nice chest!_ she thought. Even though she was used to seeing handsome men wearing a whole lot less, she still felt a bit embarrassed to see him without a shirt. She'd certainly noticed how nice his body was when he was in the ring or warming up for a match. It was hard not to notice, and she would often secretly appreciate the way his singlet would hug his form in all the right places, and how his muscles were just big enough to make any man green with envy.

Resisting the urge to hug him again, she said, "Well, I, um, guess I'll leave so you can finish changing." She had to block out the outbreak of mental images her mind suddenly supplied her with, making her blush harder.

"Yeah, uh, see ya' Lil," Rob muttered just as nervously, giving her a hesitant smile.

The two were just beginning to walk away from each other when Lilian blurted out, "Do you want a ride?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her, taking in her appearance for the first time that night. Her outfit was showing just enough skin to let onlookers know she had an amazing body, but it also covered enough to leave something to the imagination. He knew she worked out as much as the other divas, even if she didn't wrestle, so he doubted there was even the slightest ounce of fat on her body. _Damn, the rides she could probably give me,_ he thought, licking his lips. Realizing just how wrong that sounded, he almost hit himself. _No! Bad thoughts! You don't deserve to think of her like that!_ He tried to get out of her offer, not wanting to risk making a fool of himself. "Uh, well, I was just about to call a taxi, and I'm sure you've got stuff to do. You know, announcing and all that."

The petite blonde shook her head. "Vince gave me the rest of the night off. I guess he was surprised about how violent your match was, so he's letting me leave early, probably so I don't sue him for such a traumatizing experience." She nervously bit her lip. "I had a ringside seat to it, after all."

Rob felt a twinge of sympathy. She'd had to witness the whole thing up close, knowing there was nothing she could do while one of the few guys that was nice to her got beat up in the ring, and then she had to announce the Undertaker the winner of it all. Sighing, he gave in. "Well, if it's not too much trouble, I guess I could use a ride." He'd just have to endure any perverted thoughts and not let them get the best of him. The bright smile that lit up her face erased any remaining doubt.

"Great! Just give me ten minutes to change, and then we can head out."

_Don't be a pervert, don't be a pervert, don't be a pervert,_ Rob chanted. Forcing a smile, he said, "Cool," and rushed to the locker room, knowing he was in for a long ride.

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Smiling, Lilian stepped out of the Women's Locker Room in jeans and a T-shirt, bag in hand, only to meet a rather distressing sight. Vince was standing in front of her, microphone in hand, and the Undertaker standing right behind him, the Hardcore Championship slung over her shoulder.

"Lilian, I know I gave you the rest of the night off, but I just need you to do one more thing."

Lilian already had a good idea what he wanted, but still asked innocently, "What do you need, Mr. McMahon?"

Undertaker grinned at her cruelly, took the mic from Vince and tossed it to her. "Interview me," he said before walking off.

She bit her lip. _I don't want to interview him! He beat up Rob, took his title, and I just want to go home!_ "No offense, sir, but can't someone else do it? I was just on my way out."

Vince sighed, "I know, and normally I wouldn't ask you to do this, but Taker specifically requested you, and I'd fear for your safety if you refused."

Resisting the urge to scream in frustration, Lilian said grimly, "When do I interview him?"

"In just a few minutes, so you'd better get over there." He started power walking away.

"Wait, what do I ask him?" she called after him. When he didn't respond, she mumbled to herself, "I guess I'll just ask the usual." Putting down her bag, she ran over to where the Undertaker stood polishing his new belt. She tested her mic and prayed she could get it over with quickly. _I hope Rob doesn't mind the wait,_ she thought, glancing at the Phenom. He just stood there, shining his belt, not even seeming to care that he had caught her at a bad time.

The cameraman signaled they were on the air, and Lilian said as nicely as she could, "Undertaker, you just defeated RVD for the Hardcore Championship. How do you feel?"

Taker shifted his attention from his title to her and said, "You know, Lilian, I said I would get the respect I deserved, and I got it, pure and simple. But ya know, I don't think people have grasped the fact that I'm champion now, so why don't you announce it again?"

Lilian felt the bile rise in her throat. Once was bad enough, but again? She swallowed her pride and the bile and said in her best announcer voice, "Here is you winner, and the new Hardcore Champion, the Undertaker."

He glared at her. "Ya know, you don't seem too happy that I won. Is it because you wanted Van Dam to win?" he growled, glancing at her shirt. Lilian realized why Taker was so angry; she was wearing the RVD shirt she had bought on a whim after a show, and she realized just how disrespectful she must look. She started to back away, but he followed her step for step.

"Undertaker, I didn't mean to show any disrespect, I just-"

The Deadman cut her off. "I also heard you offering Van Dam a ride." He backed her into the wall and leaned in close, making her feel like a trapped animal. "How about you ditch that pathetic loser and give me a ride instead, Lilian?"

She didn't know what offended her more, the way he insulted Rob, or his blatantly sexual remark. Either way, she responded with to his question with a harsh slap right across the cheek.

Undertaker slowly turned his head back to the petite announcer in front of him and lightly rubbed his cheek. He had to admit she had one hell of a slap. Rob Van Dam was probably watching them at that very moment, and with an evil grin, he decided it was time to send the former champion a little message.

Leaning down so he was face-to-face with the scowling blonde, he said with a small chuckle, "Thank you Lilian, may I have another?" Infuriated, she tried to slap him again, but the Deadman caught her wrist, holding it in a vice grip that made her bones feel like they were being crushed. Grinning even more maniacally, he tore off her RVD shirt, baring to the world her lacey white bra. Taker knew this would anger the high-flyer; Rob was nothing if not a gentleman to the divas, and the Phenom had noticed that he'd always been especially nice towards the fiery Latina. Hell, it was the reason he'd told Vince to make her interview him; he wanted to make sure Rob knew his place.

_Time for that little punk to realize just how pathetic he is,_ Taker thought, looking almost fondly at Lilian.

The diva was about to scream for help when she felt something warm cover her lips. It took her a moment to realize what was happening; the Undertaker was kissing her, and it was far from gentle or loving. Eyes widening, Lilian started to struggle, but he easily subdued her with his overwhelming strength. After about a minute, she started to run out of air, so she did the only thing she could think of: she bit him.

The coppery taste of blood invaded her senses, and she almost fell to the floor as Big Evil jerked his head back, clearly surprised by her retaliation. Realizing she'd caught him off guard, she lined up her foot and kicked him squarely in the groin. Taker groaned in pain, and Lilian took this as her chance to escape. Unfortunately, he still had a vice grip on her arm and yanked her back.

Taker leaned down and growled, "You shouldn't have done that, you bitch!" With that, he flipped the petite ring announcer onto his shoulders and lifted her into the air, preparing to send Rob Van Dam the ultimate message.

_Oh my God,_ she thought. _He's going to give me the Last Ride!_ Lilian squeezed her eyes shut and prepared herself for the devastating impact.

_CRASH!_

Lilian opened her eyes to find herself on the floor, but unharmed. The Undertaker lay unconscious by her feet, and standing above them, steel chair in hand, was RVD.

TO BE CONTINUED

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Well, how does everyone like it so far? This'll probably only be a two-shot, but I've been wanting to write a story like this for a while. I'm not sure when I'll get around to writing the other half of this, but I think it's pretty good so far. Please R & R. Also, for anyone interested, I have a few challenges on my profile pages, and a Rob/Lilian fic is one of them. Keep on Rollin'!


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